Bill Text: FL S0980 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Lost, Stray, Unwanted, or Homeless Dogs and Cats
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2020-03-14 - Died in Innovation, Industry, and Technology [S0980 Detail]
Download: Florida-2020-S0980-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 980 By Senator Brandes 24-00543C-20 2020980__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to lost, stray, unwanted, or homeless 3 dogs and cats; amending s. 823.151, F.S.; providing 4 legislative findings and intent; requiring certain 5 animal shelters, humane organizations, or animal 6 control agencies that take receivership of any lost, 7 stray, unwanted, or homeless dogs or cats to adopt 8 written policies and procedures to achieve specified 9 goals; requiring that additional specified records be 10 available to the public; authorizing employees, 11 agents, or contractors of certain animal shelters or 12 animal control agencies to implant dogs and cats with 13 radio-frequency identification devices for certain 14 purposes; authorizing employees, agents, or 15 contractors of certain animal shelters or animal 16 control agencies to contact certain owners of record 17 to verify pet ownership; providing an effective date. 18 19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20 21 Section 1. Section 823.151, Florida Statutes, is amended to 22 read: 23 823.151 Lost,orstray, unwanted, or homeless dogs and 24 cats.— 25 (1) The Legislature finds that natural disasters, such as 26 hurricanes, may result in an increase in owned dogs and cats 27 becoming lost or stray. The Legislature further finds that dog 28 and cat owners statewide should be afforded the opportunity to 29 quickly and reliably claim their lost pets. It is therefore 30 declared to be the public policy of the state that animal 31 control agencies and humane organizations shall adopt policies 32 and procedures to help return lost cats or dogs to identified 33 owners. 34 (2)(a)A public or private animal shelter, humane 35 organization, or animal control agency operated by a humane 36 organization or by a county, municipality, or other incorporated 37 political subdivision whichthattakes receivership of any lost 38 or stray dogs or cats shall adopt written policies and 39 procedures to ensure that every reasonable effort is made to 40 quickly and reliably return owned animals to their owners. Such 41 policies and procedures shall include: 42 (a)1.Upon intake, screening of lost or stray dogs and cats 43 for identification, including tags, licenses, implanted 44 microchips, and tattoos. 45 (b)2.A process for matching received lost or stray dogs 46 and cats with any reports of lost pets received by the shelter 47 from owners. 48 (c)3.Public notice of lost or stray dogs and cats 49 received, provided at the shelter or on the Internet, as 50 appropriate, within 48 hours of the animal’s admission. 51 (d)4.Reasonable efforts to notify identified owners of 52 lost or stray dogs and cats within 48 hours of identification. 53 Such reasonable efforts may include, but are not limited to, 54 attempts to contact identified owners by telephone, by 55 electronic mail, by United States mail, or by personal service 56 at the owner’s last known phone number and address. 57 (e)5.Notice to the public of the shelter’s location, 58 hours, fees, and the return-to-owner process posted on the 59 Internet, with the shelter’s business hours posted outside the 60 shelter facility and recorded on the shelter’s telephone 61 answering system message. 62 (f)6.Access for owners to retrieve dogs and cats at least 63 1 weekend day per week and after 5:00 p.m. 1 weekday per week, 64 provided that complying with the requirements of this paragraph 65subparagraphdoes not require an increase in total operating 66 hours. 67 (g)7.Direct return-to-owner protocols that allow animal 68 control officers in the field to directly return lost or stray 69 dogs and cats to their owners when the owners have been 70 identified. 71 (h)8.Procedural safeguards to minimize the euthanasia of 72 owned dogs and cats. Such safeguards shall include, but are not 73 limited to, record verification to ensure that each animal to be 74 euthanized is the correct animal designated for the procedure 75 and proper scanning for an implanted microchip using a universal 76 scanner immediately prior to the procedure. 77 (i)9.Temporary extension of local minimum stray hold 78 periods after a disaster is declared by the President of the 79 United States or a state of emergency is declared by the 80 Governor, if deemed necessary by a local government in the area 81 of the declaration. 82(b)Records related to this section and maintained by a83public or private animal shelter, humane organization, or animal84control agency operated by a humane society or by a county,85municipality, or other incorporated political subdivision must86be made available to the public pursuant to chapter 119.87 (3) The Legislature finds shelter operating practices that 88 primarily focus on the live release rate of animals can lead to 89 serious problems with public health and safety and animal 90 welfare. In the absence of a balanced approach to sheltering 91 which includes consideration of all aspects of animal welfare 92 and public safety, agencies may refuse admission to animals they 93 cannot subsequently offer for adoption, denying animals in need 94 a safe haven. Alternatively, these shelter practices can result 95 in overcrowded conditions, fighting, compromised safety for 96 animals and staff, disease outbreaks, and suffering. Further, 97 dangerous dogs may be released into the community in order to 98 meet statistical live-release goals. It is therefore declared to 99 be the policy of this state that animal control agencies and 100 humane organizations shall adopt community-focused policies and 101 procedures to maximize live outcomes for animals, while also 102 balancing animal welfare and public safety. 103 (4) A public or private animal shelter, humane 104 organization, or animal control agency operated by a humane 105 organization or by a county, municipality, or other incorporated 106 political subdivision which takes receivership of any lost, 107 stray, unwanted, or homeless dogs or cats shall adopt written 108 policies and procedures to achieve all of the following goals: 109 (a) Ensure every lost, stray, unwanted, or homeless pet in 110 its custody has appropriate shelter and care. 111 (b) Make every animal deemed healthy and safe available for 112 adoption. 113 (c) Assess the medical and behavioral needs of homeless 114 animals and ensure these needs are addressed on a case-by-case 115 basis regardless of breed, including full disclosure of all 116 medical conditions and behavioral issues. 117 (d) Consider the needs of the community and secure public 118 trust. 119 (e) Alleviate suffering and make appropriate euthanasia 120 decisions. 121 (f) Consider the health and wellness of animals in each 122 community when transferring animals. 123 (g) Foster a culture of transparency and ethical 124 decisionmaking. 125 (h) Strive to follow the Best Practices for Humane Care and 126 High Live Release Programming as published and made available 127 online in 2018 by the Florida Animal Control Association and the 128 Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organizations. 129 (5) Records related to this section and maintained by a 130 public or private animal shelter, humane organization, or animal 131 control agency operated by a humane society or by a county, 132 municipality, or other incorporated political subdivision must 133 be made available to the public pursuant to chapter 119. 134 (6) Employees, agents, or contractors of a public or 135 private animal shelter or animal control agency operated by a 136 humane organization or by a county, municipality, or other 137 incorporated political subdivision may implant dogs and cats 138 with radio-frequency identification devices for the purposes of 139 pet identification in order to reduce the number of pets 140 entering shelters, save taxpayer dollars, and assist pet owners 141 in being reunited with lost pets. 142 (7) Employees, agents, or contractors of a public or 143 private animal shelter or animal control agency operated by a 144 humane organization or by a county, municipality, or other 145 incorporated political subdivision may contact the owner of 146 record of a radio-frequency identification device to verify pet 147 ownership. 148 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.